Bye Bye, Birdie: PM's Favorite Turkey Knives

Last month, we tackled pumpkins, but now it's time for a different kind of carve-off. With just a few hours left until the Thanksgiving big feast, Popular Mechanics' editors—and an expert from upstairs—give their tried-and-true turkey cooking and carving recommendations.

Last month, we tackled pumpkins, but now it's time for a different kind of carve-off. With just a few hours left until the big Thanksgiving feast, Popular Mechanics' editors—and an expert from upstairs—give their tried-and-true turkey cooking and carving recommendations. –Erin McCarthy

Benjamin Chertoff, Online Editor

Ben favors the Wustof 9" Classic Cook's Knife because "it's perfectly balanced for precision work, yet carries a mass sufficient to slice through the thickest, darkest and most fowl of meats" he says. "If MacGyver had a cooking show, this is the only tool he'd need." The knife is also the reason Ben was walking around the office a few months ago with a huge wad of tissues taped around his thumb. "My right thumb is about 3 mm shorter than my left after I challenged the awesome slicing prowess of this teutonic beauty."

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Roy Berendsohn, Senior Home Editor

Roy's fond of a knife he's been using for years, but "I have no idea what brand it is or even where I got it," he says. He does like the Edgecraft Corporation's Model 470 SteelPro knife sharpener. "It removes only a small amount of steel, but it gives my old kitchen knife a razor-sharp edge with a couple of strokes."

Mike Allen, Senior Auto Editor

Mike won't be using his backyard smoker to cook this year's bird—it leaves a ham-like aftertaste, he says—but will instead fry his turkey with Cabela's ultimate turkey frying kit, which he's had for 10 years. "When you deep-fry a turkey, you don't need much of a knife," he says. "It's incredibly moist and tender, and it's far less greasy than a baked turkey." Mike recommends dry-rubbing your bird 24 hours prior to frying with his BBQ rub; it tastes so good, 20 minutes after serving you'll have nothing left but "a skeleton that looks like a cartoon." Safety note: Never fry a turkey inside! Unfortunately, the Saturday Mechanic had no comment as to what tool he will use to disassemble his bird. Our best guess: Plasma torch (it cuts and cauterizes!).

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David Dunbar, Executive Editor

David hails from Canada, a land where, despite indigenous confusion concerning correct date for Thanksgiving celebrations, the turkey tradition is still intact. He favors CutCo carving knives because the serrated blades are "wicked sharp and hold an edge," he says. "They give you the power you need for breast slicing and the maneuverability to get around bones—or saw through them"—all of which adds up to a solid power-play, eh?

Like Chertoff, Franke prefers Wusthof knives. "I find they have the best hand feel and balance," she says. "The carving knives are thin, sharp and somewhat flexible for cutting around bones." In particular, she recommends the Super Slicer, which "has serrations in the blade to prevent it from sticking to turkey or ham and will stay sharp longer than a flat-edge knife."